Pool cover dolly



May 28, 1963 H. A. PATNAUDE POOL COVER DOLLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 17. 1961 3/4 {39 INVENTOR. //A/2Y A. PAT/M005 W ZM ArroemsYs.

y 8, 1963 H. A. PATNAUDE 3,091,414

POOL COVER DOLLY Filed May 17. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY Z

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3,091,414 Patented May 28, 1963 3,091,414 POOL COVER DOLLY Henry A. Patnaude, 831 Los Molinos Way, Sacramento 25, Calif. Filed May 17, 1961, Ser. No. 110,794 1 Claim. (Cl. 242-8652) This invention relates to a dolly for the handling of swimming pool covers, in particular for the removal of a cover from a swimming pool and the replacement of same on the latter. While described and illustrated for handling covers for swimming pools, it will be understood that the invention is capable of other uses, for instance removal from and replacement of tarpaulins on baseball diamonds. Tarpaulins for baseball diamonds are made of canvas and swimming pool covers are made of plastic material. It is well known that any large area of canvas is difficult to handle when wet and a large area of plastic material is even more so.

The object of this invention is to provide a dolly which may be used in pairs, one on each side of the swimming pool, for the removal from and replacement of the cover on the latter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dolly for handling a swimming pool cover which will eliminate the strenuous and tedious task of rolling the cover oif and the replacement of same on the swimming pool by hand.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a dolly for the removal from and replacement of a swimming pool cover which simplifies the operation of the removal and replacement and lightens the work, so that it may be performed by teen age boys.

Still other objects, advantages and improvements will become apparent from the following specifications, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of one of the dollies according to the present invention, showing a swimming pool cover being partially rolled up and supported on same;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the dolly;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical view, partly in section, taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view, taken on the section line 4-4 of FIGURE 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the mounting of the single front swivel wheel for steering the dolly; and

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary substantially horizontal sectional view, taken on the section line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to FIGURE 1 of the drawings in particular, the side wall of a swimming pool is shown at and along same there are walks 11, sometimes termed aprons. Hooks 12 are partially embedded in the aprons 11 at spaced intervals along same. The pool cover is shown at 13 partially over the pool and partially wound into a roll 14 on a pole 16. The cover has eyelets 15 along lines spaced inwardly from and parallel to the side edges, the spacings of these eyelets being the same as those of the hooks 12 on the aprons 11. For winding the pool cover onto the pole 16 and unwinding same from the pole, as will be later described, a crank '19 is provided. As shown, this crank has a shaft 18 which is received by a force fit in a hole 17 positioned axially of the pole and at one end of the latter. It could however be secured to the pole in other ways, such as by having a flange at its outer end and screws securing the flange to the end of the pole.

The dolly for winding the pool cover 13 onto the pole 16 and unwinding same from the latter, and for transporting the pool cover to and from a place of storage, is comprised in part by a frame including a rear member 20a, outwardly positioned parallel members 20b-20b, inwardly converging frame members 200-200, inwardly positioned parallel frame members 20d-20d, and a forward frame member 2012, all of one piece rolled tubing having its abutting ends joined by Welding in some location (not shown).

Rear wheels 23 have tires 24 thereon and are rotatably mounted on an axle 26. This axle 26 is supported on the parallel side frame members 20b-20b by hangers 27-27, which are similar to pillow block bearings. Washers 25 are preferably placed around the axle 26 between the wheels 23 and the hangers 27.

Adjacent the front end of the frame there is a transverse frame member or brace 21, which is secured at its opposite ends to the inwardly positioned parallel frame members 20d-20d by welding. Between the transverse frame member 21 and the end frame member 202 there are positioned frame members 22-22, which are equally spaced on the opposite sides of the longitudinal center line of the frame, and secured by welding to the transverse frame member 21 and the front frame member 20c.

A mounting plate 28 is secured by welding on the under side of the frame to the frame member 202, the transverse frame member 21 and the longitudinally positioned frame members 22-22. This mounting plate forms the attachment for the means supporting the single front caster wheel 33. This means is comprised by a fixed plate 29, which is secured to the mounting plate 28 by bolts (not shown), a ball race 30, and a rotatable plate 31, the latter having parallel ears 31a-31a bent at right angles to its main body section. It will be understood that there is a pivot rod (not shown) between the fixed plate 29 and the rotatable plate 31, extending through the ball race 30. The front wheel 33 has a tire 34 thereon. Axle 32 extends through aligned holes in the parallel ears 31a-31a and the hub of the front wheel for rotatably mounting the latter.

A tongue 35 has a handle 36 at the upper end and at its lower end is received in a socket, which is comprised by two complementary semi-cylindrical sections 38a-38a integrally formed on arcuate bars 38-38. This tongue is held in place by bolts or rivets 37, which extend through aligned holes in the socket sections 3811-38a and the tongue. Beyond the end of the tongue the arcuate bars 38-38 are bent outwardly and then back inwardly, so as to position their outer ends in parallel relationship and at a distance apart at least equal to the length of the axle 32 on the front wheel 33. Adjacent their outer ends the arcuate bars 38-38 are formed with aligned T-shaped slots 39, which receive the axle 32 of the front wheel. As shown in full lines in FIGURE 2, the tongue 35 may be mounted on the axle 32 forwardly of the frame, so that the dolly may be pulled; likewise, as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2, the tongue may be inserted through the frame from the rear and mounted on the front axle 32, so that the dolly may be pushed. This latter position has the advantage that the person handling the cover may push the dolly with one hand and steady the roll 14 of the cover on the dolly with the other hand, as will be better described.

The upper frame is comprised by a pair of parallel tubular members which include sections 40b-4ilb that have toes 40a thereon, the latter being secured respec tively to the outer frame members 2llb-20b by welding adjacent the rear ends of these latter frame members. The members 40b40b extend upwardly and inwardly and merge respectively with horizontally positioned frame members 400-400, which are respectively aligned longitudinally of the frame with the parallel inwardly positioned frame members 20d-20d. Adjacent the junctures of the upwardly inclined frame members 40b and horizontally positioned frame members 40c-40c, the frame members 4012-401") are joined by a transverse frame member or brace 41, which is welded at its opposite ends to the latter; similarly, the horizontally positioned frame members 40'c-40c are united by a pair of parallel transverse frame members or braces 42-42. The latter have semi-cylindrical sockets 42a at their outer ends by which they are welded to the horizontally positioned frame members 40c-40c. The horizontally positioned frame members 400-400 in turn merge with frame members 40d-40d which extend downwardly and forwardly and have toes 40@ at their lower ends by which they are secured respectively by welding to the parallel inwardly positioned lower frame members 20d20d.

A cradle is comprised by a bottom plate 44 having integral right angle sides 44a-44a on its top and parallel webs 44b-44b on its bottom. Aligned pillow block bearings 46-46 are secured to the transversely positioned frame members 42-42 by welding. A pivot rod 45 extends through the pillow block bearings 46-46 and aligned holes in the webs 4415-4417. The sides 44a-44a f the cradle are formed at their tops and along their transverse center lines with semi-circular cut out sections 47 and semi-circular grooves 48-48 equidistantly spaced on the opposite sides of the latter. Closely spaced rollers 50-50 have axles 49-49 on their opposite. ends, which are received in the semi-circular grooves 48-48 in the sides 44a-44a of the cradle. Bearing caps 51-51 are mounted over the axles 49-49 and secured to the respective sides 44a-44a of the cradle in any suitable manner, as by cap bolts (not shown).

In use, a pair of the dollies according to the present invention are aligned on the aprons 11 on the opposite sides of the swimming pool. The pole 16 is positioned between the rollers 50-50 of each dolly. The swimming pool cover 13 is released from the hooks 12 and initially wound by hand around the pole 16. The dolly may be drawn by one person pulling on the handle 36- of the tongue 35 with the latter in the position shown in FIG- URE 1 and in full lines in FIGURE 2. In such case another person may walk along side of the dolly and rotate the crank 19 to wind up the pool cover 13. Alternatively, the person pulling the dolly may stop same at intervals and rotate the crank 19 to roll up the slack cover. Also, the dolly may be moved forwardly by one person pushing on the handle 36 of the tongue 35 when the latter is in the position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2. In either case the cradle 44 mounting the rollers 50-50 on the upper frame structures of the dollies provides a bearing support for the opposite ends of the pole 16, on which the cover is being rolled and the pole bears evenly at the opposite ends on the pair of rollers 50-50. These pairs of rollers also prevent the pole 16 from swaying from side to side.

In another manner of use, the operator may move the dolly forwardly by pushing on the handle 36 of the tongue 35, when the latter is in the position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 2. When so pushing the dolly the operator on one side of the swimming pool may do so with his left hand on the handle 36 and operate the crank 19 to roll up the cover 13 with his right hand; the positions of the hands would of course be interchanged for the dolly on the other side of the swimming pool. It is also the case that the operator pushing the dolly on one side of the swimming pool may do so with his right hand on the handle 36 and use his left hand to steady the roll 14 of the cover. In the latter case, the operator would as before, stop the dolly at intervals and rotate the crank 19 to roll up the cover.

It will be understood that the operation of replacing the cover 13 on the swimming pool will be the reverse of that herein described.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A dolly for the handling of swimming pool covers comprising a lower frame having front and rear portions, a pair of aligned wheels at the rear of said frame, a caster wheel mounted at the front of said frame, an upper frame mounted on said lower frame, said upper frame comprising a pair of spaced horizontally disposed parallel members vertically spaced from said lower frame, each of said spaced horizontally disposed parallel members including upwardly inclined members secured adjacent the front and rear portions of said lower frame, a pair of spaced parallel transverse brace members secured to said horizontally disposed parallel frame members, bearings mounted on each of said transverse brace members intermediate the ends thereof and in longitudinally aligned relation, a cradle pivotally supported by said bearings for rocking movement to either side of the longitudinal axis of said upper frameQand a pair of closely spaced parallel rollers mounted on said cradle, a plate rotatably mounted on said lower frame, a pair of spaced parallel ears depending from said rotatable plate, an axle extending between said spaced parallel ears, said wheel being rotatably mounted on said axle intermediate the ends thereof and spaced inwardly from each of said parallel ears, a tongue having a handle at one end and a pair of arcuate bars secured to the other end, said arcuate bars including spaced parallel free end portions, each having T-slots therein adjacent the ends thereof, the parallel end portions of said arcuate bars engageable with said axle on opposite sides of said wheel and between said wheel and said parallel ears, said axle seating in said T-slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 791,048 Sheldon May 30, 1905 792,232 Norcott i June 13, 1905 987,593 OMaley Mar. 2, 1911 1,238,248 Beckm-an Aug. 28, 1917 1,307,559 McNeilly June 24, 1919 1,550,082. Lintz et al Aug. 18, 1925 2,592,437 Pedus Apr. 8, 1952 3,050,273 Saunders Aug. 21, 196-2 FOREIGN PATENTS 466,399 Great Britain May 27, 1937 

